Call it Even
by Sam C
Summary: J/7. Chakotay is forced to contemplate his previous actions, whilst Voyager is in more danger than Janeway believes. This is the eighth story in the series, and yet again, time is of the essence!
1. Chapter 1

Dear readers,

Thank you for your support, reviews and comments throughout this series. All genuine feedback is welcome and encouraged.

This story is the eighth in this series after 'Distress Call', 'House Call', 'Call to Arms', 'Call me Kathryn', 'A Call from the Dark Side','It's Your Call' and 'Tough Call'. All stories in the series feature a relationship between two women with sexual scenes. If you don't like that, don't read this.

Call it Even

As part of his 'rehabilitation', former Commander Chakotay was confined to quarters and allowed a few comforts which were denied to him during his thirty-day sojourn in Voyager's brig. He had a proper bed, at least, and a sonic shower, and his books and artefacts. Captain Janeway was taking no chances, however, and had ordered the removal of all computer equipment, consoles and the replicator, and placed a Level Nine force field around the quarters, lest the wayward ex-Maquis conjure up an escape plan using the furniture and a dinner fork.

Nothing was further from Chakotay's mind. Standing by the window and gazing out at the streaks of light flashing by beyond the ship's warp field, he contemplated the past events that had led up to his incarceration. Try as he might, he could not pinpoint any specific moment when his life began to feel worthless; it had crept up unawares and by the time of his final, reckless act - the stealing of the shuttlecraft _Sacajawea_ and the endangerment of the very existence of human life - Chakotay was little more than an empty shell, devoid of feeling and purpose and just wanting to feel _something_. Now, he was on a program of support, designed to help him to recover and become, once again, a functioning member of Voyager's crew, though what rank he would end up functioning at would be Captain Janeway's decision.

Sighing, the large man finally turned from the window. There was nothing out there for him, just as there seemed to be no hope on the inside. Chakotay was certain that he would not even be granted the lowest of officer ranks. Crewman, perhaps, was the best he could hope for, with 'passenger' or 'observer' further possibilities. A tiny smile touched his lips as he envisioned himself as an old-fashioned galley boy, scrubbing the decks, washing the dishes and fetching the tea. He knew how to keep neat quarters, and since his confinement had taken great pains to show that this, at least, he had regained control of. Every time he thought about how much he had let his neat habits slip into total disarray, it made him wince almost as much as when he thought about all the people he had let down. He sank into his comfy armchair and closed his eyes, willing his thoughts to turn to more positive ones, and so failed to notice when the dim lighting of his living room suddenly flickered, then went out.

A voice penetrated Chakotay's hazy consciousness, and in that state between sleeping and wakefulness, it sounded very far away. The hand which shook one arm gently, however, was very much right there, and the big man woke with a start, springing up as he did so and reaching out towards the figure he sensed was a threat. Meaty fingers found their target and a muffled gurgle suggested that the person who had somehow entered his quarters without warning would not be posing any danger, squeezed around the throat as it was by a confused and startled Chakotay. "Lights to full", he ordered, blinking as the room was immediately illuminated.

The first thing Chakotay noticed was the intruder's uniform, similar in colours to the one he used to wear, but with a loose-fitting jacket braided with red and gold over a black tunic and loose black trousers, with a single, narrow red stripe and tapered at the bottom. Still, it was fairly obviously Starfleet issue, and he released his grip a little to allow the visitor to speak as he so desperately wished.

"Commander!" the small, slim man gasped, his hands clawing ineffectively at the Voyager man's arm. He was at least eight inches shorter than his powerful opponent, and probably half of Chakotay's bulk. "Please release me. I am unarmed…" The man began to cough raspingly, and when Chakotay let go he bent almost double, wheezing for air.

"Alright, that's enough. Sit," ordered the larger man, pointing to the armchair and shoving the stranger towards it. "Now talk, and make it good, or I'll have security swarming all over the place in about five seconds flat."

The man pulled himself up straight and tugged down his jacket, instantly regaining composure and an aura of dignity, and Chakotay realised that he had underestimated whoever it was. He took a step back and regarded the intruder warily, noticing for the first time that his jacket collar bore the pips of a Starfleet captain, surpassing the rank he himself recently possessed. The man also appeared to be of Bajoran heritage, and looked every inch a Starfleet officer, despite his small stature.

"I am Captain Bren Daryn of the Federation Time Ship Horizon -" he paused as Chakotay let out a hearty groan and sank onto the leather footstool in front of the occupied armchair. "Are you unwell, Commander?" Daryn asked, his tone concerned.

Chakotay stared at the other man and planted his hands on his knees, looking the captain straight in the eye. "No, not unwell. Just...unwilling to play whatever game it is you have got going on this time. I've had enough dealings with time ships to last a lifetime."

"I assure you, this is no game. The Time Ship Horizon, and I as her commanding officer, are here to help you, Chakotay."

Voyager's former officer held up a hand. "Stop. I'm not interested. Please go now, or I will be forced to call Captain Janeway, to whom you presumably don't want to speak given that you barged directly into my quarters."

Daryn merely smiled, and continued as though addressing a recalcitrant child. "Hear me out, Commander, Please."

"And that's another thing," exploded Chakotay, leaping to his feet once more. "I'm not a Commander any more, I'm confined to quarters as I'm sure you damn well know, so knock it off with the 'Commander', okay?" Raising his hand, he tapped his own comm badge - one concession Janeway had made when she allowed him to return to his quarters, though he was only able to directly contact Janeway and the Doctor - and began to speak before realising that his signal wasn't transmitting.

"We disabled your comm badge," Daryn informed him apologetically, "and the sensors. Also, Voyager's bridge crew is being somewhat distracted at present. Don't worry, they are perfectly safe," he added hastily as the large man took a threatening step forward. "Now, please sit down and I shall explain our presence here."

Chakotay eventually nodded, regaining his seat and preparing to listen. Without knowing why, he was beginning to feel more kindly disposed to the small officer with the strong presence, although he was still puzzled as to the time ship officer's reasons for dropping in.

"You, Chakotay, have been chosen to help us in a mission of great importance. Your skills and temperament would suit us well, and your, ah, predicament here is one which we considered you would be eager to leave behind. My lieutenant has already had small dealings with Voyager, and our ensign on board is a gifted temporal scientist we recruited from your own century and whom I believe you know. His name is Marcus Hobart."

"Hobart," repeated Chakotay. "I knew a Simon Hobart from Deep Space Nine. Marcus must be his son, right?"

Daryn smiled. "Yes, that's correct. Marcus thinks very highly of you, having risked your own life and those of your crew to rescue his father and other survivors from a colony which was being attacked by the Cardassians. We know all about you, Chakotay - past and present - and I am offering you the chance for a better future than you will have if you remain on board Voyager."

Chakotay looked away. He couldn't contemplate leaving Voyager, after everything they had been through. It was more than a crew, it was a family. _A family who doesn't want you_ , a small voice in his head reminded him. Would Captain Janeway allow him back, as an officer, at some point? Would he ever be truly forgiven for his actions? Or would he remain the outsider that he now was, separated from the crew either by walls and force fields or by judgement and pity?

"Chakotay." Daryn's voice pulled his focus gently back. "I know what you are thinking. You are wondering what lies in store for you here, whether you will get back the rank and respect you won the hard way." He leaned forward, his bright green eyes sympathetic. "I'm sorry, but the answer is no. In the current time frame, you never regain an officer's rank. As well as this, you never again see the alpha quadrant." The time ship's commanding officer paused, letting his words sink in, watching the other man's expressions change as he worked through the painful thoughts, not thinking to question why he was being freely offered information about his own future.

Slowly, the two men locked eyes. "But you can offer me more?" replied Chakotay, asking several unvoiced questions with those six words. Daryn nodded. "You can...take me home," continued the larger man, who then frowned suddenly. "Could you take _Voyager_ home?" he demanded loudly, straightening up in his seat. The captain shook his head.

"That is not possible, I'm afraid. The temporal prime directive -"

"Don't spout that nonsense to me, _Captain_ ," snarled Chakotay. "I've seen the prime directives broken more times than I've drunk Ktarian brandy. Take Voyager home and I'll join your crew, help you with whatever it is you are going to do to fix yet another wayward time stream." He sat back, waiting for the other man's response.

"Chakotay, listen to me. Voyager and her crew do get home, and soon. You would no longer be...aboard when they do, but believe me, they don't have long to go. They will be fine - you would not. Come with me, now, and save yourself whilst helping the Federation in ways you cannot even imagine yet."

The captain was convincing, his words persuasive, and Chakotay felt his opposition to the idea crumbling. There was just one more thing he needed to know.

"Captain, what will happen to - to Captain Janeway? Are they, I mean, is she happy, in the future? The future that would be if I go with you, I mean."

"I can't tell you that, because that time stream hasn't been created yet. You have not yet agreed to join me. And," he continued, raising his voice over Chakotay who had started to speak again, "I wouldn't tell you even if I knew. You need to put your Voyager days behind you, _Commander_ , and start afresh, aboard the Horizon."

The significance of Daryn's use of Chakotay's former rank was the final push needed. Chakotay nodded slowly, the beginnings of a smile forming. "I'll inform Captain Janeway," he began, but Captain Daryn put out a hand to stop him. "I'll take care of that," he stated firmly. "Prepare for transport." The two men disappeared, Chakotay's confinement at a welcome end.

In the mess hall, chaos reigned. The gaseous phenomenon outside the ship, whilst seemingly innocuous, was disrupting power distribution throughout Voyager, yet without damaging systems. Surges here, depletions there, yet overall no energy was being drained and, according to the latest update from the bridge, it was believed that there was no cause for concern. Neelix felt differently after attempting for the third time to restart the kitchen's ovens and failing. One more look at the crowd of hungry people made up his mind. Out he trotted from the kitchen, flapping a tea towel ahead of him. "The mess hall is closed, go back to your quarters, use up those replicator rations!" the Talaxian called, shooing the ship's personnel towards the doors. "Go on, off you go, no food here tonight, I'm afraid!" As the room emptied, Neelix saw the tray he had begun to prepare ten minutes ago. "Dearie me," he bumbled to himself, "Poor Commander - Mr Chakotay will be expecting his dinner!". He plonked some cold meat onto a plate and followed it with buttered bread and a Talaxian pear. The orders from Captain Janeway were to provide simple, nutritious food, but nevertheless he looked with dismay at tonight's offering. Well, a bit of Onaran cream dessert can't hurt, Neelix decided, and added a generous portion to a bowl which he squeezed onto the tray. Picking up the meal, he left the mess hall and made for Chakotay's quarters.

The door chime beeped once, then a second time, before Neelix called out. "Hellooo, Mr. Chakotay? It's only me, Com - Sir. Can I come in?" There was no response. Unlike most confinements, no security personnel were posted on the doors, as Captain Janeway had considered the force field and other restrictions adequate. Neelix waited before trying again, with the same result. Reluctantly, for the little Talaxian disliked causing trouble, he tapped his comm badge.

"Neelix to the Doctor, please reply at your earliest convenience."

The comm badge buzzed immediately. "Yes, Mr. Neelix. What can I do for you?"

"I'm, ah, outside Mr. Chakotay's quarters, bringing his dinner, you know,and, well, he isn't answering, Doctor. Do you think there might be a medical emergency?"

The Doctor's deep sigh was audible. "Have you tried asking the computer, Mr. Neelix?"

"No - no, I haven't. What should I ask it?"

"Never mind. I'll do it myself. Computer, connect me to Mr. Chakotay." Neelix listened, still connected to the Doctor's channel.

 _Communication open._

"Mr. Chakotay, this is the Doctor. Please respond."

There was only silence. His tone slightly worried now, the Doctor tried again. "Computer, locate Mr. Chakotay."

 _Mr Chakotay is in his quarters._

Neelix put the tray on the floor and thumped the door with his fists, calling out to the former first officer, stopping only when he heard the Doctor's voice again.

"Mr Neelix, please stay where you are. I shall inform the captain and I will be there shortly."

Within a minute, both Captain Janeway and the Doctor marched down the corridor towards Chakotay's quarters. "Stand aside, Mr Neelix," Janeway ordered, and Neelix hastily responded, dragging the meal tray out of the way. The captain overrode the door lock using the control panel, and the doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit room.

"Chakotay?" called Janeway, entering boldly. "Chakotay, it's me. Are you here?" No answer came, and when the Doctor pushed through into the other room containing a bedroom and shower, it was clear that the quarters were unoccupied. A gleaming comm badge rested on the dining table, seeming to mock them with its presence.

Security, science and engineering teams filled Chakotay's quarters, searching for clues as to the former first officer's whereabouts and information about his mysterious disappearance, whilst Voyager's senior officers gathered in the briefing room.

"Ideas, please," demanded Janeway, turning to glare at her officers in turn. Most looked away, unable to offer any suggestions. Frustrated, the captain turned to her Chief Engineer. "Lieutenant Torres, is there any way he could have transported off the ship without us knowing?"

The half-Klingon officer shook her head. "Absolutely not, Captain. I've checked the transporter logs personally."

"What about sensors - can we learn anything from them? There must be a trace of Chakotay doing _something_ to enable him to waltz off my starship from confinement through a Level Nine force field?!" Janeway sounded exasperated, though she was doing a good job of controlling the emotions coursing through her.

Seven-of-Nine spoke next. "Captain, I have attempted to analyse the sensor readings, however it was not possible -"

"Not possible? Explain, now!"

The entire room tensed, for Janeway had spoken harshly, far more so than necessary. Torres glanced at her partner, Tom Paris, who returned a puzzled frown. All eyes went to Seven as she spoke again.

"I am in the process of explaining, Captain. The sensors in that section are gone. There are no sensor logs to analyse." Seven spoke coolly, her eyes refusing to meet Janeway's, and Torres decided to jump in. Better that she be the object of Captain Janeway's anger than Seven-of-Nine, Janeway's partner.

"Captain, my analysis showed the same thing. The sensor matrix there has disappeared, it simply isn't there any more. I don't know why, or how, but whoever took Chakotay, they were clever about it." B'Elanna Torres blew out a loud sigh, willing one of the other officers to speak.

Harry Kim, who had been silent so far, began to speak. He still felt like the most junior officer on the ship, despite that the years served and the experiences he had would have granted him a promotion if Voyager had been in Federation territory, but he was determined to have his say. "Captain, I've been running a full external analysis on the gaseous phenomenon we encountered. It seemed to appear out of nowhere, and disappear at approximately the time that the Comm - Mr Chakotay disappeared. Could it have taken him somewhere?"

Tuvok shook his head. "Though your idea is plausible, Mr. Kim, I do not believe that this is the case. The only effect of the anomaly upon Voyager was to disrupt power flow. The anomaly was closely monitored, and there were no other effects, which we would have been sure to detect had it taken a crewmember from the ship. It was, however, an extremely interesting encounter."

"Go on, Tuvok," Janeway pushed, sensing that there was more that the Vulcan wished to say.

Tuvok hesitated before speaking again. "Captain, this is purely my conjecture, however given the timing of the anomaly's arrival and departure and the disappearance of Mr Chakotay, I would strongly suggest that the two events are linked."

"That's what I said, Tuvok!" Kim exclaimed, but was waved down by Paris.

"Harry, he said it didn't take Chakotay, but it's something to do with it. Take it easy!"

Captain Janeway cleared her throat, and everyone turned towards her. "We'll continue to analyse his quarters and search the ship and surrounding area. He can't have gone far -" Janeway stopped speaking as her comm badge beeped.

"Wildman to Captain Janeway. Captain, my team has detected extremely weak traces of chroniton particles in the commander's - I'm sorry, I meant in Mr Chakotay's quarters."

With all of her senior officers' attention, Janeway replied. "How weak are these traces, Samantha? Could they be from our encounter with the Enterprise?"

"No, I don't think so, Captain, but I can't be sure. I think it would be best if Lieutenant Torres and yourself came to have a look."

Janeway nodded at Torres, and the two rose from their chairs. Seven-of-Nine also began to move, and when her partner and her friend left the briefing room, Seven followed.

The officers and staff left behind collectively relaxed. Tom Paris looked around, gauging the mood. Kim appeared thoughtful, whilst the Doctor and Neelix fidgeted in the silence. Tuvok remained impassive as always. "Hey Tuvok," began Paris, smiling, "Ever lost a prisoner from quarters before?"

The Vulcan regarded Paris solemnly. "Mr Paris. Are you not concerned for the wellbeing of your former commander?"

"Well yeah, of course, but don't you think he's just found a way to escape?" As Paris finished, Voyager's red alert signal sounded, loud and penetrating.

"All hands, this is the Captain. Red alert."

Kathryn Janeway entered the turbolift which would take her to the bridge. She knew now, or at least hoped, that Chakotay had been somehow taken from the ship against his will. Leaning against the wall, she knew what her next action must be. When the doors opened on the bridge, Janeway was thinking clearly. The presence of chroniton particles suggested only one thing. She strode to the captain's chair and on a keypad next to it, the Captain tapped in a code. A compartment under her chair opened and Janeway withdrew a small, metallic object bearing two buttons. Janeway pressed the green one, and waited for the Time Ship Relativity to respond.

Author's note

I hope that you have enjoyed this first chapter of my new story, and for those of you who have been following this series, I apologise for the very, very long gap! As always, reviews are very much welcomed. Cheers, Sam.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Every officer on the bridge turned to stare at the temporal communicator held in Captain Janeway's slender hands. It appeared to be no more than a simple metallic cuboid with two circular buttons protruding from one face; they were green and red, and labelled 'Call' and 'End' respectively.

'Are we sure that thing's gonna work, Captain?' Tom Paris asked skeptically as he frowned at the device. 'It looks more like it belongs in my Captain Proton simulation than in the 29th Century.'

From the operations station, Ensign Kim stifled a chuckle, earning a disapproving glance from Tuvok. 'Lieutenant Paris. I suggest that we simply wait, rather than make futile comments regarding the aesthetic qualities of the device. I, for one, do not believe that Captain Ducane would have provided us with something that did not work.'

'Me neither, Tuvok, but why haven't they responded yet?' persisted Tom, turning his gaze from the metal box to Tuvok and Janeway.

'Maybe they're busy,' suggested Harry. Paris paused, and when his forehead wrinkled as he struggled with a train of thought, the other officers prepared themselves for the helmsman's unique take on temporal mechanics.

'But - they can't be 'busy', can they? I mean, of course they are sometimes, but that's exactly it - _some times_. They communicate through time, right?'

Janeway nodded, beginning to understand what she thought Paris was trying to say.

'So they can contact us at any time, see? They could contact us right now, or five minutes ago, or last week. And,' Tom continued, getting more animated as he worked out his theory, 'since we'd only contact the Relativity if it were important, why wouldn't they call us, you know, before we called them?'

Captain Janeway shook her head, laughing. 'You have a point, Mr. Paris, however I think on this occasion we just need a little patience. It's-'

The temporal communicator emitted a low hum, interrupting Janeway mid-sentence, and Captain Ducane's familiar voice emanated from within.

'This is Captain Ducane of the Federation Time Ship Relativity. Is this Voyager?'

Janeway heard the tension in the man's voice and hurried to put him at ease. 'Yes, Captain, this is Janeway speaking. We are in no danger, however we have somewhat of a mystery aboard which I'm hoping you can shed some light on.'

The reply a few seconds later was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. 'I'm sorry, Captain Janeway, but I cannot meet you in person at this time -'

Paris snorted loudly at Ducane's words, causing Janeway to shoot out one of her icy glares, and he turned quickly back to his console as the time ship captain continued.

'However, if you tell me what is troubling you, I can try to advise you now.'

It was better than nothing, and Captain Janeway explained concisely about the disappearance of Chakotay and the presence of chroniton particles in the quarters where he was confined. When she finished, there was a long silence. Just as Janeway was about to speak again, the reply came through the communicator.

'Captain Janeway, this is somewhat troubling, especially considering Voyager's, ah, important position in space-time, shall we say. It is possible that you and I may be working on connected events, however I cannot say more about this at present, as to do so would violate the -'

'Temporal Prime Directive!' chorused Paris and Kim along with Ducane.

'Captain,' Kim interrupted, shooting a look at the communicator, 'If Chakotay is in danger, if he's been kidnapped by time-travellers or whatever -'

'Ensign.' The single word from Janeway froze the young officer, and the captain spoke again to Ducane. 'Captain, can you tell me if Chakotay is likely to be in any danger at present?'

The soft chuckle from the time ship officer made Janeway realised that 'at present' was a poor choice of words when dealing with issues of a temporal nature, and she corrected herself with a smile. 'I mean, will he come to any harm?'

'No, I don't believe so,' Ducane replied quickly - too quickly, thought Tom Paris, and it seemed that Janeway shared his view.

'How can you be sure?' she demanded. Despite his recent fall from grace, Chakotay remained a friend and had proved to be an exemplary first officer, and after a suitable length of time Janeway intended that he would be once again.

This time, Ducane hesitated. 'We can never be one hundred percent sure in cases like this, Captain, but if Chakotay is where - and when - I think he is, he is amongst people who are unlikely to do him harm. Unless, of course, the commander does something to...go against their plans.'

The bridge officers tensed, for they correctly recognised the signs in their captain that she was about to use her deadly tone, one which could likely make the fiercest Hirogen hunter run for the hills. 'And what _plans_ would they be, Captain Ducane? We are talking about my first officer - my former first officer,' Janeway quickly corrected her slip as so many of the crew had done, 'and I demand to know who has taken him.' Though her icy tones may have worked in person, the time ship captain was far enough removed to be unaffected, and his voice was pleasant and calm.

'Again, I apologise, but the Prime Directive is clear. I cannot give you information which may affect your own future or jeopardize my own mission. Please continue on your journey, Captain Janeway, and I will contact you again if needed. Ducane out.'

Janeway whirled around to face Tuvok, who had regained his original position as Voyager's first officer. He regarded her coolly as she exploded. 'Like hell are we just going to carry on like nothing has happened! I want B'Elanna to go through every particle reading on external sensors until we find where those chronitons came from. Janeway to Seven,' the furious captain continued, slapping her comm badge so hard that it stung her chest.

'Seven-of-Nine here.'

'Seven, did you hear the communication from the Relativity?'

'Affirmative.'

Janeway didn't bother to question how, nor did she notice that her partner, the ex-Borg astrometrics officer, was even more parsimonious with her words than usual, such was the urgency she felt. 'I want you to dismantle this temporal communicator, see what makes it tick. I want to be able to contact whoever the hell I want, whenever I want, then maybe we'll get some answers.'

'May I point out -'

'That's an order, Seven. I'll have Mr. Kim bring it down to engineering. Meet him there and work on it together. Janeway out.'

Harry Kim sprang enthusiastically from his seat, almost rubbing his hands with excitement. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to get his hands on a temporal communicator from the future, and his boyish expression lit up his entire face.

Moving the device away from the approaching Ensign, Janeway held up a cautionary hand. 'Not so fast, Mr. Kim. I'm putting Seven in charge of the project,' she watched as Kim's face crumpled a little, 'because she has more knowledge of temporal engineering than anyone else aboard Voyager, including you. Still, I think you'll have a lot to offer, Harry. Now get this to engineering. I want hourly reports.' She handed the metal box over and the young officer took it reverently, mollified by Janeway's words.

Without fuss or fanfare, the time ship Horizon materialised in the alpha quadrant, three centuries after Chakotay had been born. As he watched through the viewscreen, a planet came into view, heavily populated. The commander's nostrils flared slightly as he glanced at the display on the operations console.

'Recognise it, Commander?' Daryn asked.

Chakotay shook his head. 'A Cardassian settlement, judging by the lifesigns.'

'Look closer.'

The large man bent closer to his console, rumpling his uniform jacket in the process. He flushed a deep red and suddenly struggled to breathe. It couldn't be. He refused to believe it. 'What trickery is this?' he demanded, whirling about to face Captain Daryn who had moved to stand at his side.

Daryn shook his head slowly. 'No trick, Chakotay. This was your colony, the one you were born in, the one you saved from the Cardassians when you first joined the Maquis.'

'But - how? When?'

The shock on the commander's face was starkly obvious, thought Daryn, pleased that his actions seemed to be having their intended effect. 'The colony was taken by the Cardassians in the early 25th century. Starfleet sent a ship, but it was too late by the time it arrived. The fleet was too stretched to counter the constant attacks.' Captain Daryn pressed a sequence of buttons, bringing up a map of the quadrant. 'This shows the Cardassian-controlled sectors in Voyager's time frame. _This_ ,' he pressed another button, 'is their territory when we are now, in the mid-27th century.'

The Cardassian empire's space had almost tripled in those three hundred years, now encompassing many systems which were previously part of the United Federation of Planets. Chakotay's mind was in turmoil as he inspected the map, stunned by what he saw.

'How did the Federation let this happen?' he asked softly. He didn't really need an answer, but Daryn responded anyway.

'It was the Borg. They started attacking through a newly-formed wormhole, and Starfleet couldn't send ships fast enough. Eventually, technology advanced enough to make the Borg less of a threat, but whilst Starfleet were fighting them, the Cardassians snuck in through the back door. In a single week, they conquered fifty colonies and a dozen major Federation worlds, and there was nothing the fleet could do. Given a choice between losing to the Borg and losing to the Cardassians, they had to focus their efforts on the Borg.' Daryn lifted his head and Chakotay saw the Captain's sombre expression, sensing a very personal pain behind the man's crisp appearance. Noticing Chakotay's realisation, the smaller man's expression grew even more serious and he smiled grimly. 'Yes, Chakotay. They took my world, too. They took Bajor back, and the Federation did nothing.'

Hardly daring to ask, Chakotay spoke in a whisper. 'And what about in your time frame? What does the alpha quadrant look like in the 29th century?'

Daryn didn't reply, but silently stabbed a bony finger at the console buttons once more, which told Chakotay everything he needed to know.

'Hey, Harry, Seven. How's the project going?' Tom Paris strolled nonchalantly into engineering and hopped up onto a console, swinging his legs. 'Want any help?'

Seven-of-Nine glanced up briefly, her blonde hair appearing somewhat dishevelled. 'We do not require assistance at this time, Tom,' she replied curtly, and Paris grinned.

'Just asking, Seven. You know me - always happy to lend a hand.'

Kim blew out a sigh of frustration. 'You could help by leaving us to it,' he said tetchily, and his friend leaned back, raising both hands into the air.

'Whoa there, Harry! What's eating you?'

Putting down a small tool none-too-gently, Kim turned to the helmsman with a frustrated expression. 'Sorry, Tom. It's just that we've been working on this thing for ten hours straight, and we've got nowhere.'

'That is not precisely correct, Ensign,' Seven stated. 'We have determined that the device has a failsafe mechanism designed to prevent tampering.'

'Yeah. We discovered _that_ ,' he informed Tom, 'when we set it off and half the circuits instantly fried. And as if that's not bad enough, I reckon the non-fried part sent a communication telling Ducane what we're up to, since the thing started lighting up the second we got in. Just to top it all off, I'm also hungry, thirsty and tired, since I haven't been to bed since, oh, about two days ago.'

Paris clapped the younger officer on the shoulder and grinned at the ex-Borg who was studying a tiny piece of what looked like blue foil. 'I'm sure the Captain wouldn't mind if you both grabbed a couple of hours sleep. What do you reckon, Seven?'

'Mr. Kim, you may return to your quarters for the rest of the night. Please report back at 05:00 hours.'

Harry didn't need to be told twice, departing with a hasty thank you. Paris studied the tall woman, who had returned to her work and seemed distant somehow. 'Hey, Seven? Seven?' he repeated, reaching out and placing a friendly hand on his friend's arm. 'Aren't you going to take a break too? I'm sure the Captain would be pleased to see you.'

'The Captain is busy, and so am I.'

Sensing that he was not wanted, the boyish lieutenant shrugged. 'Your decision, Seven. I'm off to try to persuade B'Elanna to eat something in between analysing sensor data and running yet more scans. See you later.'

There was no answer from the ex-Borg, and now Tom knew that something was bothering her.

In his tiny quarters on board the Horizon, barely large enough for a single bed, shower and computer station, Chakotay paced up and down the only narrow strip of floor available. It was simply unthinkable, so unexpected that it seemed like some bizarre nightmare, visited upon him in the early hours of a cold, storm-ravaged night. Yet the facts were there. The Federation he knew would be - had been, he amended - ripped apart by that ultimate race of bullies, the Cardassians.

A communications beep intruded. 'Commander, we are approaching the rendezvous point. Please return to the bridge.'

On the wide viewscreen, a shuttlecraft came into view. Despite this being the 29th century, it appeared remarkably similar to the Delta Flyer, Voyager's pioneering warp-capable shuttle.

'Open hailing frequency.' The order came from Daryn, seated in the Captain's chair, and Chakotay complied. 'Horizon to the shuttlecraft Apollo. Come in, Lieutenant.'

When a face appeared on the screen, Chakotay gasped, his heart skipping a beat, for he recognised the fair-haired woman immediately. 'Kathryn Paris,' he blurted, and the attractive lieutenant grinned broadly. She was younger than when they had first met, in unusual and difficult circumstances for Voyager.

'That's me,' she replied drolly, adding 'Sir' when she realised that Chakotay was wearing a Starfleet commander's uniform. 'Good to meet you, Commander. I know that you encountered an alternate Kathryn Paris during your time on Voyager, and had to be rescued from her by the Relativity, but I assure you we're on the same side this time around.'

Chakotay smiled back. 'I certainly hope so, Lieutenant Paris.'

'I'll introduce you to the others when they come aboard,' said Daryn, shutting off the communication after ordering the shuttle to dock in the Horizon's small shuttle bay. 'Marcus - Ensign Hobart - I've already mentioned, and the last member of our party is another Ensign, Harper Rose. You'll like her - everyone does. She's our engineer, medic and general fix-it officer, plus she also cooks a mean chilli.' Both men laughed.

Chakotay, regaining his seriousness, asked the question that had been on his lips since Daryn had introduced him to the political and territorial catastrophes of the future. 'What then, Captain? What's our mission?'

'Then, Commander, we are going to take back what the Federation has lost.' Daryn's voice was emotionless and deadly calm. After a long minute which dragged out painfully for the time ship captain, waiting to hear Chakotay's reply, the big bear of a man answered so softly that Daryn had to strain to hear.

'Sounds good to me.'

From his command chair, the small man permitted himself a smile. He had Chakotay right where he wanted him - on his side, on his ship and away from Voyager where he could not spoil their plans for a second time.

Janeway made her way through the dim corridors to Voyager's engineering department, automatically greeting the crew members she passed along the way. It would be her last stop before retiring to her quarters for a quick meal and bed, both of which she sorely needed. Ever since the Chakotay incident, as she has come to think of it, she had endured an unpleasant, nagging feeling of - something. Responsibility? Guilt perhaps? She was having trouble sleeping and in fact doing anything, she admitted privately, except replay over and over in her mind the time leading up to her friend's breakdown. The signs had been there, Janeway knew, yet she had been too busy with her relationship to spend time with her first officer and dear friend as she once had, before Seven-of-Nine joined the crew. Now that Chakotay had disappeared, she found herself missing his steadfast calm and unerring loyalty more than ever.


End file.
